Readily removable bottle cap



Nov. 3

A. L. FACCOU READILY REMOVABLE BOTTLE GAP Filed Dec. l0, 1951 ,4MM/0 Fccaa IN VEN TOR.

United States Patent() READILY REMOVABLE BOTTLE CAP Armand L. Faccou, Santa Ana, Calif.

Application December 10, 1951, Serial No. 260,910

4 Claims. (Cl. 21S- 39) in applied position. The cork insert is held by the cap in firm engagement with the mouth of the bottle to prevent the escape of any gases which may be confined in the bottle along with the liquid therein and to otherwise hermetically seal the bottle. These caps when applied in the conventional manner, are difficult-to remove and almost invariably a bottle opener or tool of some character is i required to pry the cap loose from the lip or bead.

An object of the present invention is `to provide an improved cap of this character which is so designed that the use of a bottle opener or similar prying tool is not required to open the bottle. Instead, the cap may be removed by merely strikng the cap with any type of hammering implement or the cap in its applied position on the bottle may be struck against a solid object. The improved cap may be opened with a conventional bottle opener if desired.

More specifically, an object of the invention is to provide an improved cap wherein a percussion cap is interposed between the sheet metal cap and an inner cap which contains the cork insert so that when the exterior of the cap is struck by a hammering implement the percussion cap will explode and generate gases which will blow the cap from the mouth of the bottle, thus opening the bottle. The improved cap lends itself to a number of different adaptations. In one of these the gases generated by the exploding percussion cap are largely confined so as to generate maximum force required to lift the sheet metal cap from the mouth of the bottle. In another form the gases generated by the percussion cap are not so highly confined and may permit of the omission of a sharp crack or noise, thus converting l the cap into a novelty item whereby bottled drinks on being opened may simulate or imitate a popping champagne cork.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be made manifest in the following detailed description and specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference is had to the accompanying drawing for an illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical section on an enlarged scale through a mouth of a bottle illustrating one form of cap embodying the present invention in applied position thereon;

Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating another form of construction embodying the invention;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a cap of the type illustrated in either Figs. 1 or 2; and

Figure 4 is a top plan view illustrating an alternative form of construction.

Referring to the accompanying drawing wherein similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout, 10 indicates the neck of a bottle having a mouth 11. Surrounding the mouth there is an external lip or bead 12. The cap embodying the present invention consists of a section 13 of sheet metal having a downwardly bent skirt 14 that is vertically corrugated from its bottom edge upwardly. In accordance with conventional practice, the

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lower endsV of these corrugations are crimped inwardly as indicated at 15 to engage the under side of the lip or bead 12 and retain the cap in position on the bottle despite the existence of internal pressures that may exist within the bottle. Within the cap 13 there is disposed an inner l cap or liner 16 within which `there is a cork insert 17. This cork insert may conform to conventional cork inserts, but instead of being adhesively secured to the under side of the cap 13, asin the conventional cap, it is adhesively secured to the under side of the inner sheet metal cap 16. The edge portions of the inner cap 16 are arranged in spaced relation to the corner of the outer cap 13 to provide a small space adapted to receive a sealing ring 18. This sealing ring may be formed of rubber or rubber-like composition and initially may be similar to a conventional O-ring.

Between the outer and inner capsthere is disposed a percussion cap 19. This percussion cap may be formed of two layers of paper adhesively secured together and confning therebetween a small quantity of percussion explosive. The percussion cap employed may be of the type generally employed on cap pistols and caps of that character have been successfully used between the inner cap 16 and the outer cap 13.

The percussion cap in the modification shown in Figs. l, 2, and 3 occupies but a small portion of the top area of the outer cap 13. These caps customarily do not explode when merely subjected to pressure without the pressure conditions being such as to develop friction. Consequently, when the cap embodying the present invention is applied to a bottle the percussion cap 19 may be so disposed as to be very nearly over the edge of the bottle which surrounds its mouth 11. If the bottle-capping machinery is such as to merely apply direct pressure to the top of the cap without impact and without causing a distortion of the outer cap overlying the percussion cap 19 so as to generate friction, the conventional bottle-capping machinery may be employed without accidentally exploding the cap 19. The corrugated skirt is crimped beneath the lip or bead 12 in the conventional manner. Usually, when the cap is forced onto the bottle by conventional bottlecapping equipment, the presence of the percussion cap 19 causes a small protuberance or embossment 20 to be formed therein directly overlying the cap 19. This may serve as an indicator to indicate the location of the percussion cap 19. If desired, the exterior of the outer cap may be marked to indicate the location of the percussion cap.

If the outer capk 13 is sharply struck by any hammering implement at the location 20 the percussion cap 19 will explode, generating gases between the two caps, and in effect blowing off the outer cap 13. These gases are largely confined between the two caps by the sealing ring 18. However, to avoid separation of the outer end inner cap as the cap is blown off of the bottle, the outer cap preferably has one or more perforations 21 formed in its skirt. As the outer and inner cap start to separate under the effects of the explosion and the sealing ring 18 loses its effectiveness, the gases generated may flnd egress through the perforations 21. The effects of the explosion are consequently quickly dissipated after the cap has been blown off and the inner cap 16 with its adhesively attached cork insert 17 may consequently tend to remain in a loose but nevertheless assembled relationship. It will be appreciated that the presence of the cap 19 does not require that the cap be struck with a hammering implement but that the cap may be removed from the bottle by any conventional bottle opener if so desired.

In the construction shown in Fig. 2, the construction described is substantially the same as that previously described in conjunction with Fig. 1, except that the use of the sealing ring 18 can be dispensed with. In this construction the inner cap 16a merely has its edge portions bent to conform rather closely to the interior of the outer cap 13a at the juncture of the skirt with the top of the outer cap. This form of construction is apt to prove somewhat more noisy than the construction shown in Fig. l, in that as soon as the outer and inner caps separate under the effects of the exploding percussion cap, these products Iof combustion are quickly released through the space between the edges of the inner cap -and the corrugationsfinthe skirt` ofthe outer-eap.-

Consequently, an audible sharpgcrack is frequently pro duced, simulating or in imitation of a popping charnpagne, corkw- :fr

In theconstruction;shownfinnFigsf1,2, and 3, thepereussiongcap 19, occupies rbut `a ysmall vcircular'tarea on the underside offthe top of, the outer cap.. -In the con-` f struction shown in Fig. 4, -,the explosivelofgthe percussion cap mayfbe distributed; in the form ofranrannular'ring extending'. entirelyuaround the undergsideoithe outer'I f.

cap,whereas in Figs. 1g t0 3,-inclusive,.the location of` the percussioni-.cap :maysbe ascertained and the outer cap struck sharplyat ,this locationtpIn Fig. 4,the outer.`

use of.-,abottle opener orf similarifpryinginstrument-to= remove it from a bottle. Such instruments may be employed'but theyare not necessary;- ,Any sharp shammer-r' ing over the eXplosivebetween-fthe outer and .inner cap v will produce` a detonationt-Lof the cap and cause-:the cap to remove ,itself-,from ,the bottle. llf theV cap construction is designedgsimilarfto Fig. ,t2-itqmayqproduce a .sharp audiblenoise-` If it-is designedfas,disclosedin Fig. 1,

it is A.not apt to Aproducesuch a noise. v vvThe aperturesZlf may be dispensed-with V-if desired.A

The inner cap gprovides a;plate or. to some extent an anvillV against whichthe percussion cap isvstruck to explode it.-l l

Various changesmay-be maderzin the details of the construction A.without lde1g arting from kthe spirit and scopeof the, invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A bottlecap comprising av sheetmetal cap having a downturned corrugated` skirt adapted to be caused to clinchingly, engage the lip, of-,a ,bottle aroundthe mouth thereof, a.corkinsertadaptedk to overlie the mouth of the bottle disposed within the cap, a plate between the cork 4insert-and the cap, and a ypercussion-cap bet-Ween the plate and the cap.

2. A bottle cap comprising a sheet metal cap having a downturned corrugated skirt adapted to be caused to clinchingly engage the lip of a bottle around the mouth thereof, an insert adapted to overlie the mouth of the bottle disposed within the cappaA plate between the insert and the cap, means forming a A*seal between the i l plate and the interior of the skirt; and azpercussion cap between the plate.V and Athe cap. p,

3. A bottle cap comprising Aa sheet'metal` cap having a downturned corrugated skirtadap,ted..to..be causedxltof` clinchingly engage the lip of a bottle around the mouth thereof, an insert adaptedf to overlie-the mouth of the bottle disposed within the cap, a plate between the insert and the cap, said plate having a downturned skirt embracing the insert, said skirt terminating in an outwardly extending flange forming -a'seat for arsealingfringaanseal#l ing ring positioned on, the llange, -and La percussion-cap between the plate and the cap. f

4. In combination- With'a bottle and :a11`cap :appliede thereto, a percussiomcap disposed on the undersidefzo the cap, and means confining they products -ofxcombustio from the percussion cap lsufciently :so that wherrrfthe cap lis struck, rtoexplod-e, the percussion-cap :the bottletunz t cap will beexploded-fromrthe bottle-1wwhile preferred to keep the parts of the cap assembled I v together `following-,their removal from the bottle mouth,

References Cited in :the le offthis patenti", UNITED STATES PATENTS Z 

